Tuesday, August 11, 2009

I usually put a picture of the dish I am writing about on top of my posts, but this time is a little different. How could I pass up putting a puppy at the top? This is the newest member to our home and kitchen, Molly, a 5 month Old English Sheepdog. She enjoys chewing her toys, eating way too fast, and sleeping on the kitchen floor when I cook. Who could ask for more? On to cooking, this dish is a result from one of the many times I am faced with leftovers. This time it was grilled corn as well as a red pepper I had in the fridge and decided to roast. I enjoy eating leftovers as is, but I have found creativity can really bring out a greater dish. Combined with some basil (more on the massive basil plant I have growing out back next week) I made a pretty simple salad and was quite happy with it.

This recipe calls for two minor "technique" cuts, if you want to call them that. The first is cutting the corn. I prefer to stand the cob up and cut straight down on all sides with a serrated knife. It gets most of the kernel and does not make a huge mess. For basil, I am employing a chiffonade. It's a fancy French word that sounds more complicated than it is. Stack your basil leaves in a nice pile, about 6 high, roll them into a bunch, and cut small strips of the roll. Boom, that's it. Grilled Corn and Basil Salad